RSS: SkyWatch - It's a big sky -- someone has to watch it.

Show 190: Building on the Moon

outreach@stsci.edu — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 10:00:00 -0500

Future lunar bases could be built from concrete made directly from Moon dust, which would be much cheaper than transporting materials from Earth to Moon. NASA hopes to send four astronauts to Moon for seven days by 2020. The plan is to eventually build long-term Moon bases.

Show 189: Dead planets -- or Not?

outreach@stsci.edu — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 10:00:00 -0500

We talk about “habitable zones” around stars being confined to predictable regions, where temperatures are not too cold and not too hot, so that planets can retain liquid water and support life as we know it. But perhaps there’s more leeway than we thought. A new study has discovered that some extrasolar planets that we assumed were too cold to host life could in fact be livable.

Show 188: Meteorites and Molecules

outreach@stsci.edu — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:00:00 -0400

Amino acids are organic molecules that form proteins. Proteins, essential to cells, are one of the first steps in the creation of life. Several — but not all — types of amino acids have also been found in meteorites – chunks of rock that reached Earth from space. Scientists are studying meteorites, like the Murchison meteorite that fell in Australia in 1969, to see if they can give clues to how amino acids link to form the structure of proteins.

Show 187: Space Tourist

outreach@stsci.edu — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:00:00 -0400

Game developer Richard Garriott recently paid $30 million to spend some time on the International Space Station, where he participated in NASA experiments. Creator of the Ultima gaming series, Garriott is the son of retired astronaut Owen Garriott. Part of his 12 days on the space station was spent undergoing a series of microgravity experiments, including analysis of sleep patterns.

Show 186: Cosmic Conundrum

outreach@stsci.edu — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 11:00:00 -0400

Astronomers using Hubble recently came across a mysterious object in the direction of the constellation Boötes that slowly brightened over 100 days then dimmed back to invisibility. Astronomers are used to supernovae — exploding stars — brightening the sky, but that flash happens quickly. This slow change in brightness doesn’t match anything on the books. Nor does the object’s spectrum line up with anything that could help identify it.

Show 185: Dust Devils in Martian Arctic

outreach@stsci.edu — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:00:00 -0400

Dust devils have been photographed raging across the arctic plains of Mars. They were captured by NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander, which saw at least six of the whirlwinds. The dust devils often occur when the Sun warms Mars’ surface.

Show 184: Possible planet?

outreach@stsci.edu — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:00:00 -0400

Astronomers have found almost 300 planets outside our solar system, but they haven’t been able to take pictures of any of them — the planets are too small, dim and distant. But the Gemini Observatory recently took a picture of a star and a nearby object — could it be the first picture of an extrasolar planet?

Show 183: Venus Rising

outreach@stsci.edu — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:00:00 -0400

The planet Venus is now visible very low in western sky right after sundown. This evening appearance of Venus will become even better in coming weeks as the planet rises higher and higher each night throughout the fall and winter. The brilliant “evening star” will be at its brightest on Feb. 19.

Show 182: Stellar Streams

outreach@stsci.edu — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 11:00:00 -0400

The Milky Way galaxy is part of a group of galaxies, including several small “dwarf galaxies,” that interact with one another. The outer portion of the Milky Way, called its “halo,” is filled with clouds of gas, star clusters, dark matter and streams of stars gathered from those dwarf galaxies by the power of the Milky Way’s gravity. The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) revealed these multiple, previously unknown streams.

Show 181: Clusters in a Cluster

outreach@stsci.edu — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 11:00:00 -0400

About 54 million light-years from Earth, roughly 2,000 galaxies have ganged up in a gravitational grouping called the Virgo Cluster. Centering that cluster is a massive galaxy that is itself surrounded by many clusters-in this case, star clusters. But this massive galaxy has more of these star clusters than astronomers expected it to have. Could it be stealing from its neighbors?

Show 180: Hubble Hits 100,000 Orbits

outreach@stsci.edu — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:00:00 -0400

In August, the Hubble Space Telescope completed its 100,000th orbit around Earth. Understandably, the venerable observatory is due for a little maintenance. In October, astronauts will be returning to Hubble to install two new science instruments, repair two other instruments, and upgrade other critical components on the telescope.

Show 179: HubbleWatch for August 2008

outreach@stsci.edu — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:00:00 -0400

Hubble celebrated a new milestone in August – 100,000 orbits around the planet Earth. Scientists think they know why a certain galaxy has more globular clusters than its neighbors. And a black hole-inhabited galaxy is sending tendrils into the universe.

Show 178: Cassini and the Jets

outreach@stsci.edu — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:00:00 -0400

The Cassini spacecraft performed a daring flyby of Saturn’s moon Enceladus on March 12, flying about 15 kilometers per second (32,000 mph) through a geyser-like jet spurting from the moon’s surface. It captured sample molecules from the jet.

In August, it used special techniques to get pictures of the jets. Scientists want to know where the jets come from and whether Enceladus has water.

Show 177: Water from a Rock

outreach@stsci.edu — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:00:00 -0400

Could Earth’s Moon have water locked up inside its rocks? Samples brought back from the Apollo Moon mission may indicate that the answer is yes. Water may be locked up in volcanic glass beads within the rocks.